This invention relates in general to mailboxes and deals more particularly with a mailbox which is constructed to permit mail recipients to visually detect the presence of mail from a distance. The mailbox of the present invention also provides easier access to mail which is deposited in the box.
Roadside mailboxes typically include a single door which faces the roadway and is used both to deposit mail and to remove mail from the box. The mailbox is often located a considerable distance from the house, and it is necessary for the recipient to walk out to the mailbox and check to determine whether the mail has arrived. Although many mailboxes are equipped with signal flags, they are not used consistently and do not detract appreciably from the number of trips that must be made to and from the mailbox.
Mailboxes that are wholly or partially transparent have been proposed so that the contents of the box are visible from a considerable distance. However, if a single envelope or several envelopes or other flat pieces of mail are present in the mailbox, they are difficult to see from a distance because of their horizontal position on the floor of the mailbox. Another drawback associated with transparent mailboxes is that persons passing by on the road can see that mail is present and possibly tamper with it.
The retrieval of mail from conventional mailboxes is especially difficult for the elderly. It is necessary to walk around to the roadside of the mailbox and open the door, to stoop down to see if any mail is present, and to reach into the mailbox to remove the mail. The need to stand on the roadside of the mailbox can be dangerous, and the need to stoop down and reach into the box is especially difficult for elderly persons. Mailboxes having doors on both ends have been proposed so that the mail can be deposited from the road side of the mailbox and removed from the house side. However, the house side access opening is located in the end of the box, and it is still necessary for the recipient to stoop down to check for the presence of mail and to reach into the end of the mailbox to remove it. In addition, if the mail carrier is careless in depositing the mail in the box, it can slide through the box and fall completely or partially out through the back or house side door.